1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, mobile telephones and the like that are provided with non-contact integrated circuit (IC) cards (smart cards) and a non-contact IC card function have become widespread. These devices are used, for example, for public transportation ticket services, for bill payment services at retail stores, and the like. The non-contact IC card function can be provided not only in mobile telephones, but also in portable information terminals such as smart phones, personal digital assistants, and the like, as well as in information processing devices such as personal computers and the like. The non-contact IC card function may also include the provision of various types of services other than the ticket services and bill payment services described above. In some cases, even for the same type of service, the function may differ according to the provider who provides the service, and the different types of functions may be distinguished.
The function may be implemented through non-contact communication with a reader/writer that is capable of at least one of writing information to the device and reading information that is stored in the device. By performing an operation that holds the device described above up to a reader/writer that is compatible with specific services and specific providers, a user can avail himself of the services that the reader/writer supports. In a case where a plurality of services is provided by the same reader/writer, the user can utilize the function of the device to avail himself of the plurality of the services.
To date, the non-contact IC card function described above has mainly been implemented in a communication chip for non-contact communication and in a single integrated circuit chip (hereinafter called a “secure chip”) that is provided with a tamper-proof secure storage area and a processing portion. The storage area has a hierarchical configuration that is organized according to one of the service and the provider. The utilization of the services is controlled by having the reader/writer perform access authentication for each level in the hierarchy. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2004-159062, a technology is disclosed that implements access control for a hierarchically organized storage area by using authentication information that is established for each level in the hierarchy. The same document also discloses a configuration of a communication device that is capable of containing, in a plurality of the secure chips, communication information that is set separately for each communication company.